A Southwest Airlines flight traveling from Oakland slid off of the runway at Hollywood Burbank Airport north of Los Angeles amid heavy rain Thursday morning.
The low-cost airline confirmed the incident, which occurred around 9:05 a.m. PT. No injuries were reported.
“Southwest Flight 278 from OAK to BUR landed safely and rolled to a stop at the end of a runway. Customers deplaned the aircraft via air stairs, with no reported injuries among the 112 customers and five crew members,” the carrier said in a statement.
Citing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Ian Gregor, CNN reported the Boeing 737-700 came to a stop after hitting a barrier designed to catch aircraft that leave the runway.
#FAA Statement: Shortly after 9:05 a.m PT today, @SouthwestAir Flight 278 rolled off the end of Runway 8 while landing at @fly_BUR Airport in #Burbank, CA, and came to rest in the Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS). This information is preliminary and may change.
— The FAA (@FAANews) December 6, 2018
“The weather was bad and we had a rough descent. We touched down pretty hard but wasn’t really alarming until I saw the barrier getting closer and closer.” passenger Pete Nicks told SFGate.com. “I thought we were going to impact the barrier for sure. But the plane just stopped feet from the barrier. Just beyond the barrier were several cars that would have been taken out.”
The airport remained open Thursday despite the runway closure, however, officials warned that some flights were canceled or delayed as a result of the incident.
UPDATE: Some flights have been cancelled or delayed due to the incident. If you’re traveling through BUR today, please check your flight status with your airline before coming to the Airport. https://t.co/sM3Hf7EXAZ
— Hollywood Burbank (@fly_BUR) December 6, 2018
According to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com, Hollywood Burbank Airport had experienced 35 flight cancellations and 27 delays as of 12:30 p.m. PT Thursday.
